Similarly to Michaels, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had stayed retired for several years after feeling content with his career, with his initial final match at WrestleMania 19 being the end to his feud with The Rock and his time as an in-ring competitor. That said, when Austin was given the opportunity to wrestle one last time in his home state of Texas against an opponent who was using “The Stunner” on a nightly basis, he finally stepped back inside the ropes after WWE asked him to return.

Leading up to WrestleMania 38, it was announced that Kevin Owens would host the “KO Show” with Austin, which quickly kickstarted speculation towards “The Rattlesnake” coming out of retirement. Over the years, Austin had been involved at multiple WrestleMania’s for brief appearances or to hit “The Stunner” on a current star, which made it difficult to predict if he would actually lock up with Owens at “The Show Of Shows.” However, when the “KO Show” was scheduled to close night one of WrestleMania 38, fans realized that their dreams of watching Austin compete again were quickly becoming a reality. 

Owens was arguably the perfect opponent for Austin, having conducted some of the best heel work of his career leading up to WrestleMania in order for the six-time WWE Champion’s return and eventual win feel special. Although WWE could’ve opted to have Austin pass the torch to Owens, they chose to have the 60-year-old pickup the win, which was ultimately the best decision as the audience in attendance exploded after the three count and were beyond pleased with the result.